Phelps writes Games gold history

He looked a bit uncomfortable at times yesterday -- perhaps because of the burden of Olympic history. Or, maybe his faulty goggles were to blame. But that was welcome, for he looked human, something the world needs to remind itself about a man who swims like a machine.

Michael Phelps is now the most decorated individual athlete (six golds in Athens five in Beijing) in the history of the Olympic Games.

Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina and her countryman Nikolai Andrianov still hold the record for the most medals of any color: 18 for women and 15 for men. Andrionov's record could fall, if Phelps, who has two bronzes from Athens, wins three more golds, as is expected, in Beijing.

Phelps was in the exalted company of Carl Lewis and Mark Spitz, both of the US, Latynina and the legendary Finnish distance runner Pavo Nurmi for just a day before rising higher in the medals' tally.

The icing on his cake: all his five golds in Beijing have come in world record time.

But he was not the only athlete to shatter records at will yesterday. The women's 200m freestyle and the individual medley records were broken in the pool and the 63kg weightlifting saw China's Liu Chunhong smash the snatch, clean and jerk, and total records.

A different sort of record was set in the gymnasium, where China upstaged the US to win its first team gold in women's gymnastics. The gold tasted doubly sweet because China had wrested its men's team title from Japan a day ago.

A dramatic fall by Cheng Fei from the balance beam did not stop the host from beating the world champion by 2.375 points. The US entered the final yesterday with only four fit gymnasts and major errors on the balance beam and in floor exercises - both by Alicia Sacramone - ruined its chances of winning the top prize.

Back in the pool, Italy's Federica Pellegrini broke the women's 200m freestyle record to take the gold. And Australia's Stephanie Rice won her second gold in record time in the 200m individual medley.

Woman weightlifter Liu Chunhong put the stamp of China's supremacy on the event. She set a world record in the snatch with 125kg, then broke that record with her next lift, snatching 128kg. Her 158kg lift in the clean and jerk and her combined total of 286kg were world records too.

But Sa Jae-hyouk of the Republic of Korea stopped China's gold rush in weightlifting by edging out favorite Li Hongli to win the men's 77-kg division.

Sa and Li both lifted a total of 366 kg, but Sa got the gold medal because of his lower body weight.

Before this, China had won in all the six weight categories it took part in.

Chinese divers completed their golden sweep in synchronized diving, with Wang Feng and Qin Kai leading from start to finish in the men's 3m springboard, the last of the synchronized events.

China's Chen Ying came from behind with a dazzling performance to win the gold in women's 25m pistol shooting.

And Chang Yongxiang won China's first silver in men's wrestling after losing to Manuchar Kvirkelia of Georgia in a well-contested 74-kg bout.

French wrestler Steeve Guenot won the first gold for France in Greco-Roman wrestling (66kg) since 1926.

In cycling, French veteran Jeannie Longo missed the women's time trial podium by just 2 seconds in what could be her final Olympic race. American Kristin Armstrong won the 23.8-km race.

Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara won the men's time trial, powering his way to his second Olympic medal in four days. The Swiss had surprised himself with the bronze in the men's road race on Saturday.

Benjamin Kleibrink of Germany won the gold medal in men's foil fencing with a convincing victory over Japan's Yuki Ota.

Britta Heidemann, also of Germany, won the gold medal in women's epee, giving Germany its second first-place fencing finish of the night.

Masae Ueno won Japan's third gold medal in judo, defending her 70kg Athens title against Anaysi Hernandez of Cuba.

World champion Irakli Tsirekidze of Georgia won the men's 90-kg judo gold, scoring an early penalty point and then holding off Algeria's Amar Benikhlef.

Questions:

1. How many of Phelps’ Beijing golds have come with record times?

2. Which country won the men’s 77-kg weightlifting competition?

3. France won its first gold in Greco-Roman wrestling since what year?

Answers:

1. All five .

2. The Republic of Korea .

3. 1926.